Better Buildings Challenge to Include Multifamily Housing

The Better Buildings Challenge has expanded and will now include multifamily housing such as apartments and condominiums.

Through the challenge, the DOE and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are partnering with both market rate and affordable housing owners as well as public housing agencies to cut energy waste. Fifty multifamily partners – representing roughly 200,000 units and over 190 million square feet – have committed to cutting their energy use by 20% in ten years.

The new multifamily housing partners will showcase innovative strategies to boost energy efficiency, including lighting improvements, heating and cooling system upgrades, installing rooftop solar systems, and supporting new financing for energy retrofits and green construction. These partners will also share best practices and lessons learned with other Challenge participants – serving as a model for the broader U.S. multifamily housing industry.

According to the DOE, about a quarter of households live in multifamily housing. Improving the energy efficiency of these buildings by 20% will save nearly $7 billion in energy costs each year and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 430 million tons of carbon dioxide.